Anne Carlsen is dedicated to helping children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families enjoy lives of quality and learning at home, at school, and in their communities.
While serving individuals of all ages, ACC believes in the effectiveness and importance of early intervention to help lead to successful outcomes and make a lasting and profound impact on quality of life.

When looking for apps for students on the autism spectrum (ASD), it is important to look at all educational apps and not just those that are tagged as autism apps. They have many of the same learning needs that other students have.
This list was developed to provide apps based on common learning characteristics and traits that are typical for students with ASD.
Download here

Behavior analysis focuses on the principles that explain how learning takes place. Positive reinforcement is one such principle. When a behavior is followed by some sort of reward, the behavior is more likely to be repeated.
Through decades of research, the field of behavior analysis has developed many techniques for increasing useful behaviors and reducing those that may cause harm or interfere with learning.
Learn More >>

The Behavior Toolboxes are unique behavior and development resources for professionals who work with children, parents, and families in normal everyday situations, and in special environments where significant learning and behavior problems are encountered.
We offer these insightful tools to any parent or professional currently residing in North Dakota, per our licensing guidelines.

Social Skills Camp curriculum provides kids the opportunity to learn and further develop skills that are integral to social developmental – including play, language, and adaptive skills. Mixed in with functional learning are fun activities focused on specific themes.
Field trips will provide the opportunity for interaction and turn-taking. Trained and dedicated camp counselors, along with skilled ACC staff, provide assistance to meet campers’ needs.
More info >>

Annie’s House is an adaptive skill facility and program that helps children and adults with sensory, learning and/or mobility challenges reach a goal on their bucket list by enjoying year round, adaptive recreation programs such as skiing, hiking and tubing in the beautiful Turtle Mountains in Bottineau, North Dakota.

Adaptive equipment and assistive devices open up a new world and help people with disabilities gain more independence in their environment.
An on-site technician designs and builds custom equipment like switches and environmental controls to provide children greater independence with daily living activities, leisure time, communication and sensory stimulation.

The Anne Carlsen Center offers opportunities for individuals with disabilities over the age of 21, to achieve maximum growth and learning. By providing individual, one-to-one support, we empower those we serve to successfully reside in the community. Each individual’s plan will be a reflection of his or her unique personal interests, strengths and dreams and includes vocational, home-living and recreation goals.

Anne Carlsen Early Intervention provides home-based services that focus on the family. We help identify learning opportunities and provide material and emotional support, instruction, information, and resources so parents and caregivers can help their children learn and develop to their full potential.

The Anne Carlsen Center is dedicated to helping children and adults of all ages and their families build home lives of dignity, freedom and well-being. Our highly-trained staff equips individuals to thrive in their homes and in their community.

Lekotek by Anne Carlsen offers therapeutic PLAY-based family sessions for families of children with disabilities structured to help children learn, develop and thrive in a world that presents them with many unique and complex challenges.
Play is the way kids learn, develop skills and reach milestones. The mission of Lekotek by Anne Carlsen is to make the world of play accessible to ALL children, especially those who have disabilities or special needs. Toys and play empower children to reach their potential and increase inclusion within the family and community.

Recreation Entertainment Arts and Leisure, REAL by Anne Carlsen is a year round adaptive recreation program for the state of North Dakota. Through development of new opportunities along with collaboration and expansion of presently available programs, the goal of REAL by Anne Carlsen is to enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities.

The Anne Carlsen Center Campus in Jamestown is licensed to provide residential services to 56 individuals from birth to young adulthood. The individuals who reside here have a variety of complex disabilities. Included are autism spectrum disorders, seizure disorders, complex medical fragility, cerebral palsy, hearing impairments, and speech/language impairments.

We provide hospital-level care to a majority of the state’s most medically complex children. Of our 54 licensed beds, nearly half are occupied by those who are medically fragile. To meet the needs of these individuals, the Center provides round-the-clock care from Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Certified Nursing Assistance/ Direct Support Professionals and Respiratory Therapists.

The Taylor Made living model will offer another choice for adults with disabilities and their families different from other community living arrangements.
Unique in design, equipped with technology and outfitted with everyday conveniences of home that buck the current trend in group home facilities—Taylor Made Living will be the new bar raised for expectations of community homes.

Therapy programs are interwoven into each day at the Anne Carlsen Center. All residents receive extensive therapy from certified therapists who work closely with teachers, medical staff and life skills trainers to ensure therapies are working to help individuals be as functional as possible.

The Anne Carlsen Center education program offers endless possibilities for students to succeed in school and in all areas of life. The school program is approved and accredited through the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction as a K-12 school, and is accredited by the North Central Association on Accreditation and School Improvement.

Adaptive equipment and assistive devices open up a new world and help people with disabilities gain more independence in their environment.
An on-site technician designs and builds custom equipment like switches and environmental controls to provide children greater independence with daily living activities, leisure time, communication and sensory stimulation.

The Ideation Center team offers services to individuals with disabilities, organizations, schools and families in North Dakota and surrounding states.
The overall impact of the Ideation Center at ACC is to first ensure that our staff are fully supported and empowered to carry out the mission and vision of ACC.

The Nurtured Heart Approach® is a methodology created by Howard Glasser to help parents and children discover their greatness together. Originally developed as a way to help intense and challenging children, the Nurtured Heart Approach has been shown to help all children flourish.

Do you go to workshops but come home and don’t have time to implement your new ideas?
Do you need to build your inventory of sensory materials but you have a limited (or no) budget?
Then this workshop is for you!

The Anne Carlsen Center is pleased to offer additional information about the services we provide, including helpful educational resources to assist you.
Click on this page to view our library of program-related videos, or submit your own content to offer your own tips to our online community.

Sady Paulson: No Limits

There are some people that cross our paths that make us want to smile and be a better person.

Sady Paulson is one of them.

“Five minutes after we met, we were Facebook friends!” says Inspired Woman Photographer, Jacy Voglewede. “She’s just such a neat person. She’s really just like the rest of us, even though she’s had more battles to overcome. I left my photo session with Sady feeling thankful, not for my life, but thankful that I had the chance to meet Sady.”

“Indeed I have faced challenges. Everybody has problems, but I have my own theme of challenges. I will always have some challenges to work through, but that makes me stronger. I don’t let the challenges control my life.”

And when it comes to overcoming battles, Sady is sort of an expert. She’s been overcoming battles her whole life. Sady has Cerebral Palsy, a neurological disorder that affects muscle coordination.

“Cerebral Palsy has two parts, cerebral involves the brain and that palsy involves a weakness in the way a person positions their body,” she explains. “I can not do physical things, like walking, getting dressed, and eating by myself. I have support helpers who will assist me with all these things. My body doesn’t respond the way everyone else’s does. This world is set up for people who don’t have limitations.”

It would be easy for Sady to feel sorry for herself. Afterall, her life has not been easy. But Sady has no time for self pity.

“It takes me longer to speak, work, and play than it takes others. But I can do all of those things. I just do them differently and it may take longer,” Sady says matter-of-factly. “I challenge people to not think that I am different, I challenge them to look at me differently. Look beyond my disability and see me for who I am.”

Sady’s career

Who she is is a 29-year-old editor, presenter, and a recent graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Cinematography. Sady has spent her entire life in North Dakota. Sady grew up in Killdeer, attended 8th grade at Bismarck’s Wachter Middle School, spent a few years at the Anne Carlsen Center in Jamestown, and now lives in Fargo.

“As a kid, I was always wondering if I could ever have a job that I love. When I met Mark Coppin about 10 years ago, my little world changed in a huge way,” says Sady.

Mark Coppin is the Director of Assistive Technology at Anne Carlsen Center. He and Sady met during an occupational therapy assessment. Mark introduced Sady to technology, and showed her how technology could change her life.

“He has taught me so much and pushed me to live out my dreams. I could write a book on him,” says Sady. “When I was a senior in high school, Mark introduced me to some technology he thought I might be interested in. Then I started attending tech camp at Camp Grassick and became interested in film editing.”

“Sady, as well as the rest of the campers, took photos at camp and I would edit them into a video at the end of the week,” says Mark.

“Sady said she wanted to edit, so I thought ‘why not?’ She ended up editing a three minute video with transitions, movements, and titles. At that moment I realized I was witnessing something quite special. I knew there was potential and she was only limited by what the technology could do for her.”

Mark got Sady hooked up with a MacBook Pro and a scanning system. The scanning system is controlled by switches that are mounted on the side of Sady’s head. She has to move her head to control the switches, which then send a command to the computer to move a video or audio clip. It is tedious and time consuming, but Sady loves every second of it.

“What everyone else can do with a keyboard and a mouse, I can do with my two switches. Now, I’m a big nerd that loves technology! I am like a technology junkie,” Sady laughs. “My love for technology is more than just a passion; it gives me access to my world. I need help in some areas, but assistive technology enables me to communicate with my loved ones, and pursue my career.”

Sady graduated from Full Sail University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Cinematography.

“When she was getting her cinematography degree, she did it all online. Because it was online, no one on the other end knew she had a disability. All they saw was her ability. Even many of her teachers didn’t know she has a disability and she didn’t have any special accommodations. She graduated with the advanced achievement award and was one of the top students in her class. Amazing,” says Mark.

Technology Changed Her Life

Technology helped her complete her education, and she uses some type of technology in her daily life.

“I love to make films about real life and the world. I have been a director, cinematographer, actress, editor, and a lot more. I enjoy being able to do something with my skills. I often do presentations about myself and the technology that has changed my life. I hope by sharing my story, other people will realize that it is possible to live how you wish. There are people out there who make it their sole mission in life, to help you find and access everything you need. These people mean more to me than they will ever know.”

Her latest and biggest project was an accessibility video for Apple (watch it here). Sady was the lead editor.

“I was excited when Apple reached out to me, to use my video editing skills for the video which was also timed to go live the same day as their redesigned accessibility website, where I’m also featured along with other great users of Apple’s accessible tech,” she explains. “When I went to Anne Carlsen Center, I discovered I had a passion for video editing when I had an opportunity to be introduced to a project. I find that editing is both work and fun for me.”

It’s a Gift

Sady’s Cerebral Palsy means her muscles don’t work like they should. Her CP is both spastic (characterized by increased muscle tone, which causes stiffness and creates difficulties with movement and balance) and athetoid (characterized by involuntary, uncontrolled movements, especially in the arms, legs, and hands.) Technology has given her control and opportunities. Her electric wheelchair, which she controls with her head, and her computer, iPad, and iPhone all have connected her with a world she never thought she’d know.

“Cerebral Palsy doesn’t limit my abilities to be successful,” says Sady. “I’ve been hit with a lot of obstacles but they have all helped me grow as a person.”

In fact, Sady considers her Cerebral Palsy and the challenges it brings a gift. It’s her gift to encourage others and to inspire change.

“I hope I can be of encouragement to those doubting themselves. People think having a disability is a barrier, but I see things differently. My hope is to knock down those misinterpretations about this thought process. You have the ability to do anything that you want, but you have to be willing to take a leap of faith.

“I have great support as well.”

Her support includes Mark Coppin, professional learning engineer Mark Dohn, and her mom, Diane Paulson.

“My mom is my biggest inspiration. She always told me that I can do anything I want.”

Advice Sady took to heart. Next on her list: to go back to school for a second degree, this time in social work. She hopes to one day start her own day program to help others with disabilities achieve their dreams.

To see more photos of Sady, click here to see a gallery put together by Photos by Jacy.